Fruit and vegetable container



Feb. 15, 1955 w. c. MccUAlG FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONTAINER Filed May 2INVENTOR.

WILLIAM QMecuAlG.

United States Patent" FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONTAINER William C. MeCuaig,Penn Yan, N. Y. Application May 2, 1950, Serial No. 159,589

1 Claim. (Cl. 217-43) This invention relates broadly to shippingcontainers for fruit and vegetables and more specifically toimprovements in ventilated boxes of the type that may be collapsed toaccommodate storage and return shipment thereof.

One of the objects of the invention resides in the provision of cleatsor skids on the top and bottom of the box to facilitate stacking andhandling thereof when filled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible box whichmay be retained in its operative position by merely dropping loosebottom boards therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide dowel pins mounted inblind openings in the corners of the box to facilitate the folded orcollapsed adjustment thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lid which may beinterlocked with the ends of the cleats on the top of the box andsecured in place by a locking strip which requires but two nails toassure the adlxture thereof.

Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of a box whichis rigid in structure, light in weight, economic of manufacture, andframed to insure ventilation of the contents and avoid injury thereto.

Other objects and advantages, more or less ancillary to the foregoing,and the manner in which all the various objects are realized will appearin the following description, which, considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of theinvention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the improved box or crate;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof, the section Ib eing takenon a plane indicated by the line 2 2 in ig. l;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through another portion of the box, thesection being taken on a plane indicated by the line 3 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the position;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a fragmentary portion of the boxillustrating an alternate latching mechanism for the lid;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view thereof; and

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fragmentary por- ;ion of the boxillustrating a corner post of an alternate orm.

Referring first to Fig. 1 the box comprises a pair of rectangular endwalls embodying bottom skids 10, top rails 11, corner posts l2, andspaced vertically disposed end boards 13 nailed to the outer face of theskids and top rails. The posts are disposed between the bottom skids andrails and each member is bored with a blind opening therein for thereception of a dowel 14 (Figs. 2 and 3). In assembly the dowels aremounted in the openings in the posts simultaneous the engagement of thebored ends of the skids and rails therewith. Thereafter the end boards13 are nailed to the transverse frame members, thus effecting theretention of the dowels. The side panels of the box are formed byspaced, horizontally box in its collapsed disposed boards 15 nailed tothe inner face of the posts 12. The bottom or oor of the box is formedby. a plurality of boards 16 milled for snug engagement with the innerface of the end boards 13. The tioor boards rest upon the ledges formedby the upper faces of the skids 10, but are not nailed or otherwiseaffixed thereto, hence it is desirable to form the boards fromrelatively wide stock and to mill the ends thereof square and parallelin order to restrain undue diagonal fiexure of the box assembly.

The lid of the box is formed with end rails 17 with slats 18 nailed uponthe upper face thereof in normal relation thereto and top skids 111secured to the rails 11. The slats are disposed in spaced relation witheach other and the outer ends of the rails 17 which are of a requisitelength to accommodate the telescopic engagement thereof with the lowerface of the top skids 111. The ends of the top skids 111 overhang thecorner posts 12 a distance equal to the thickness of the rails 17 of thelid and the cross slat 18 adjacent one end of the lid is set inwardlyfrom the ends 19 of the top rails to facilitate the reception of alocking strip 20. The lid is assembled upon the box by introducing theends 19 of the rails beneath the overhanging ends of the top skids 111,then moving the lid horizontally and downwardly until the opposed ends21 of the rails will clear the inner edge or the adjacent skid. The lidis then retracted until the slat remote from the locking strip abuts theskid 111, whereupon the locking strip 20 may be set in place and nailedor otherwise atiixed to the top rails 17. lf the strip 20 is nailed inplace, two nails 23 are deemed adequate since no appreciable strain isimposed thereon.

When it is desired to collapse the box for storage or return shipment,the lid and tloor boards are removed, then the side and end panels arerevolved about the dowels in the corner posts until the end boards 13engage the side panels 15 as illustrated in Fig. 4. When the box isfolded the lid and tloor boards may be stored or shipped therewith orstacked for independent handling since the simplicity of the partsaccommodates interchangeable assembly thereof.

It will be noted that the box is free from internal protuberances suchas the corner posts frequently found in similar crates that scar orbruise the fruit, and it will also be observed that the box may be usedwithout the lid since the skids 10 and 111 will separate the box from asuperimposed unit and thus safeguard any protruding surface of the fruitor vegetables packed therein.

ln the lid-supporting structure illustrated in Figs. S and 6 the ends ofthe skids 111 are ush with the outer faces of the corner posts and thelid top rails 17 abut the inner face of the posts. The slats 18,moreover, are even with the ends of the top skids 111 which are milledwith grooves 24 in the inner face thereof for the reception of hat,relatively thin latch plates 25 pivotally mounted on the top of the endslats 18 for engagement within the grooves.

If desired, the corner posts may be triangular in transverse section asillustrated in Fig. 7. With such structure the side panels are nailedupon the outer face thereof in order to eliminate sharp edges andcorners within the Although the foregoing description is necessarily ofa detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely setforth, it is to be understood that the specie terminology is notintended to be restrictive or coniining, and that various rearrangementsof parts and modifications of detail may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim:

A box for the shipment of fruit consisting of a pair of end frames,comprising top and bottom rails and corner posts between said rails, theposts and rails of each end frame lying in a common plane and the postce Patented Feb. 15, 1955r end rails positioned outside said posts andbeneath said 10 overhanging portions' of the `top' skids,V and spacedslats nailed on said lid end rails and lying skids, whereby the lid iSheld in position.

between the top References Cited in the le of this patent CIT UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Boyd Aug. 11, 1903 Boyd Oct. 3, 1905 Dolph June 19, 1906Ritter `luly 8, 1919 Smith Sept. 8, 1936

